In-House Counsel

Six Sigma and pro bono at Caterpillar

By Rees Morrison

Starting in early 2006, the General Counsel of Caterpillar (James Buda) asked a senior lawyer to put together a Six Sigma team to focus on a pro bono program for the Legal Services Division (See my post of Feb. 13, 2008: Six Sigma with 18 references.). Because the 180 attorneys and 140 non-attorneys are divided between in two locations, there were actually Six Sigma teams that both sites. All this is explained in the ACC Docket, Vol. 30, Dec. 2008 at 12-13. Apparently Six Sigma techniques can apply to any study.

In less than two months, the teams had done their groundwork and in September 2006 Buda endorsed a pilot program. Each of the three initiatives tried out that month provided free legal assistance to underprivileged individuals (See my post of Dec. 16, 2008: pro bono contrasted with community service.). Ever since the full-scale program got under way in November 2006, ?more than 100 volunteers from the two offices have provided over 600 hours of free legal services to underserved members of their communities? (See my post of Aug. 24, 2008: pro bono programs of law departments with 12 references.).

Full post as published by Law Department Management on January 22, 2009 (boomark / email).